Dumplings
Half-moon dumplings of pork and cabbage, or pork and chives, boiled and dipped in vinegar. In the north the whole family folds them on Lunar New Year's Eve.
Life in Mainland China
Northeast China
Forest, black soil and long winters, where dumplings come by the plate and the cold is a festival.
Play: Northeast China quizTap a place.
The land
The Northeast, called Dongbei, is a land of forested mountains and rich black soil, crossed by the Songhua and the Liao rivers and bounded by the Amur and the Yalu. It is one of China's great granaries for soybeans, maize and rice, and its industry built much of the country's heavy machinery in the 1950s.
Living there
Winters are long and hard: Harbin's January average is below minus 15°C. People meet the cold head on, with ice sculpture festivals, winter swimming in the frozen river and frozen pears and hawthorn sticks sold in the street.
How it sounds
The Northeastern dialect is close to standard Mandarin, with a warm, emphatic tone that is a staple of comedy sketches on Chinese television. Korean is spoken in Yanbian, along the border, and Russian names and buildings remain in Harbin.
What it eats
Food here comes in big portions: stews from a single pot, pork with pickled cabbage, plates of dumplings, and guobaorou, crisp pork in a sweet and sour glaze. Winter vegetables were once stored in pickling jars and cellars for months.
Liaoning
The southern gateway to the northeast, with a long coast on the Yellow Sea and the Bohai.
- The Shenyang Imperial Palace, built by the Qing before they took Beijing
- Dumplings, served by the plate in restaurants that make nothing else
- Its port cities on the Liaodong peninsula
Jilin
Forests, rime-frosted trees in winter, and a strong Korean heritage in the east.
- Changbai Mountain and the crater lake on its summit
- Wild ginseng from its mountain forests
- Rime ice along the Songhua River in Jilin city
Yanbian cold noodles
Chewy buckwheat noodles in an icy, tangy beef broth, topped with beef slices, half an egg, cucumber, pear and chilli. A Korean dish, eaten even in winter.
Heilongjiang
China's northernmost province, where winter lasts half the year and the cold is a festival.
- The Harbin Ice and Snow World, a city of buildings carved from river ice
- Russian-style domes and the old Central Avenue in Harbin
- Red sausage, smoked in the Russian style
Guobaorou
Thin slices of pork fried twice until they are glassy and crisp, then tossed in a sweet and sour sauce with shreds of carrot and coriander. Created in Harbin for Russian guests who liked their food sweet.
Play
Northeast China quiz
Dishes, famous sights and capitals. Every answer comes with the story behind it.
Which place is famous for this? "Dalian's seafood, eaten by the coast all summer."
Answer
Liaoning. Liaoning. The southern gateway to the northeast, with a long coast on the Yellow Sea and the Bohai.
What is the capital of Liaoning?
Answer
Shenyang. Shenyang. Liaoning is also known for: the Shenyang Imperial Palace, built by the Qing before they took Beijing.
Which place is famous for this? "Cold noodles in an icy, tangy broth, from the Korean communities of Yanbian."
Answer
Jilin. Jilin. Forests, rime-frosted trees in winter, and a strong Korean heritage in the east.
What is the capital of Jilin?
Answer
Changchun. Changchun. Jilin is also known for: changbai Mountain and the crater lake on its summit.
Which place is famous for this? "Guobaorou: crisp slices of fried pork in a sweet and sour glaze, created in Harbin."
Answer
Heilongjiang. Heilongjiang. China's northernmost province, where winter lasts half the year and the cold is a festival.
What is the capital of Heilongjiang?
Answer
Harbin. Harbin. Heilongjiang is also known for: the Harbin Ice and Snow World, a city of buildings carved from river ice.